The moves, announced after a meeting of Russia’s Security Council and a rambling, impassioned address by Putin to Russians, were not the full-fledged invasion predicted by many in the West after weeks of deployment by Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders.

Kaliningrad's position within Central and Northern Europe, its turbulent historical and cultural legacy, as well as its current geopolitical importance make the region appealing for tourism.

While it is tempting to view their meeting as the apex of a newly rejigged axis of power, in reality, Putin returned from Beijing with few concrete measures to offer to his people, though both he and Xi gained an additional boost to their symbolic partnership.

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has kept pressing Moscow’s demands for “security guarantees” from the West, including an undertaking that NATO would expand no further and Ukraine would never become a member.

Putin said the Kremlin’s chief concerns remained unanswered – guarantees from the West that NATO would expand no further and that Ukraine would never be permitted to join.